Blindsided 05

“Come on, pick up,” Robbie snarled while looking around in frustration.

After leaving the salon in a fit of rage, he'd stomped back over to the fountain to try calling the mysterious woman. But having tried six times already (each time with the call ringing out), it was becoming abundantly clear that she had no plans on picking up.

Hanging up, Robbie dropped the phone, only for it to be swallowed up by the large, poofy skirt of his dress that stuck out awkwardly due to the multiple layers of petticoats beneath. He didn’t know what to do. Miles from home, he had no money and was dressed in a ridiculous women’s costume. He couldn’t even connect to the free Wi-Fi provided by the shopping centre as his new phone had been set up in such a way that it restricted certain functions.

Thinking again about the threat of having been poisoned, the options open to him seemed limited. He could go to the hospital. Perhaps they could cure him. But then again, perhaps they couldn’t! Closing his eyes and screwing up his face in anger, Robbie thought about the alternative, returning to the salon to take Shar up on her offer. There she would dye his hair blonde, that’s if he also allowed her to style it before posing for some pictures. Imagining those pictures on her website to promote her salon and try to attract more LGBTQ+ customers made him want to lean over and vomit into the fountain behind him. “There must be a better option,” he thought to himself. “Come on, Robbie. Think outside of the box.”

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“Hey, good work today,” Shar announced as she walked up to chat with a miserable-looking Robbie. “If you ever need a job, let me know.”

Robbie forced a smile and remained silent. Inside he felt angry and humiliated but didn’t want to let his frustration show. He was now dressed in a spare salon uniform that consisted of a tight brown dress with a deep V down the front that showed far more of his new assets than he felt comfortable with. A brown belt that emphasised his thin waist accompanied the short dress. And a pair of sandals with a taller wedge than the previous pair that Shar had found in the back now sat below his sore, hairless legs. The whole ensemble made his lower body appear female. A freaky sight with his head sat atop! Shar must have agreed as after getting dressed, she slicked back his hair with a little styling gel before announcing him ready to work.

“So, are you ready to get your hair coloured?” Shar asked in her usual cheery, bubbly voice.

Looking around and seeing the salon empty, Robbie nodded his head. “I guess so,” Robbie replied in a far less enthusiastic voice. Understandable, considering he had just spent the last few hours sweeping up hair and making coffee for customers dressed as a woman. The last thing he now wanted to do was bleach his hair and model for Shar's website.

“You’re a strange one you,” Shar said before gasping. “Not strange as in a weirdo. I didn't mean it like that. I mean… I’m not trying to say there’s anything wrong with being trans or... sorry… whatever you identify as. I just meant that you came in here asking me to help you out with your hair and you look as if you’re about to attend a funeral.”

“Well, It’s been a bad day. A bit of a nightmare, if I’m honest,” Robbie replied, rolling his eyes. “So, if it’s all the same to you, can we just get this over with?”

“Erm… sure,” Shar answered, flashing him an empathetic smile. “No problem. And thanks again for the help this afternoon. I know that I pushed my luck a bit when you returned, but with that temp failing to show up, you were a huge help. I really need to call that agency and complain. It’s the third time this month that one of their girls has failed to show up.”

Seeing Robbie staring blankly back at her, Shar chuckled.” Oh, yeah, sorry, your hair. I’ve been told many times that I talk too much. Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?” She added with a snap of her long-nailed fingers.

(See image 09)

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Robbie jumped as the phone clenched between his fingers rang. It had been an hour since he’d arrived back at the fountain and sent a selfie to confirm that he had done what the woman had asked of him.

The seconds ticked by at a snail's pace for Robbie as he sat fidgeting with his outfit, trying not to think about the edgy look Shar had forced upon him. And if the colour and bold cut of his hair weren’t bad enough, his eyebrows were now, as Shar put it “shaped,” and his face, to him, felt caked in makeup. There had been more than a few confused looks as he’d walked back from the salon.

Lifting the phone to his ear, Robbie answered. “Hey there, Blondie. Wow! Look at you with your bitchin new do, like a goth Barbie doll or something,” the woman on the phone said before giggling loudly.

Already tired and hungry, being laughed at was the final straw. “Ok, you’ve had your fun. I’ve done what you wanted. Now, where’s the antidote,” Robbie said aggressively through gritted teeth.

“Woah, calm down there, Barbie.” The woman replied. “This game isn’t over, yet. Far from it, in fact.”

Looking up to see a teenage boy a few feet away, staring right at him with a big grin plastered across his spotty face, Robbie squeezed the phone as hard as he could and took a deep breath. “Yes, it is. And stop calling me, Barbie, you fucking psycho. Let me tell you what’s going to happen here. You’re going to tell me where the antidote is and then you're going to hope you don’t spend the rest of your life rotting in prison.”

There was a moment of silence before the woman burst out laughing. After chuckling for a few seconds her tone abruptly changed. “Oh, Blondie, you don’t learn, do you? The woman said sternly. “I make the rules here, and if I want to make you my Barbie doll, I will. You know, after that insult, I might just do that. There's now a forfeit to be paid, but I think I'll give you the night first to contemplate your behaviour.”

“What? Wait! Where am I supposed to…” Robbie yelled, but the line went dead. “Son of a bitch.” He screamed, throwing his arms up into the air much to the amusement of the teenage boy who was now filming him with his smartphone.

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Miserable, hungry, and alone, Robbie looked again at his new phone before dropping it to his side. It had been hours since the last call, but time had lost all meaning to Robbie as he sat with his pantied backside on the cold, hard ledge of the fountain. He had nowhere to go and no plan of action. His exhausted brain had given up thinking of a solution to his problems, and with the thought of venturing out into the streets much worse than the thought of staying put, he sat there in limbo as the last few customers vacated the building.

(See image 10)

“Oh, hey it’s you,” came a voice, making Robbie look up. “What are you doing sitting here all alone?”

It took Robbie a second to recognise Shar from the salon, and when he did, he didn’t know whether to feel happy or embarrassed. “I’ve got nowhere else to go,” he replied in a sad, quiet voice.

Pushing out her top lip, Shar placed her handbag on the floor before sitting to Robbie’s right. “Is there anyone I can call for you?”

“No, there’s nobody who can help me,” Robbie muttered, “I just have to wait for her to call, tomorrow?”

“Call? Who’s going to call you? A friend?” Shar asked in a confused voice.

“No! Robbie yelled, making Shar jump slightly. “That bitch is no friend of mine!”

Taken aback but seeing tears forming in the corner of Robbie’s eyes, Shar placed a hand on the feminised boy’s shoulder. “Shush… Hey, it’s ok. Everything is going to be ok. Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I can tell you’re in trouble. And seeing as you have nowhere to go and this place closes soon, how about you spend the night on my sofa.”

Turning his head slowly, Robbie looked Shar in the eyes. “Really?” he asked. “You’d do that for me? Why? For all you know, I could be an axe murderer.”

“Well, lucky for me, it looks like you left your axe in your other dress, and I don’t have one at my place,” Shar replied with a smile. “So, what do you say? Interested?”

Nodding his head, Robbie smiled his first genuine smile of the day. “Yes, Thank you, Shar. That sounds amazing.”